


The Strange Case of Dr. Jack-ll and Mr. Knife

by Dorktapus42



Category: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Gen, Inspired by Glass Scientists- link in Notes, So... uh... this just came to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-09-25 03:20:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17113475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorktapus42/pseuds/Dorktapus42
Summary: He stared down the vial. Was he sure this would work?No, but…Did it matter in the sake of science? Of discovery? Of curiosity? Of the time he’d spent trying to make this work? To create?He steeled his nerve…...and drank.(Anti and Jack. Jekyll and Hyde. What could go wrong?)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this lovely comic: http://www.theglassscientists.com/?comic=chapter-i  
> It's called the Glass Scientists and it's an amazing take on Jekyll and Hyde, along with some other fun stuff. It's beautiful. Highly recommended. If you have some free time I'd check it out.

He stared down the vial. Was he sure this would work? 

No, but… 

Did it matter in the sake of science? Of discovery? Of curiosity? Of the time he’d spent trying to make this work? To create?

He steeled his nerve…

  
  


...and drank. 

 

\-------

 

He awoke. What-? Who-? He looked down at his pale… fingers? How did he know these things-?

Who was he? 

He gripped the table and he flinched as something  _ burned _ , feeling as if something had gone horribly wrong somewhere- but with what?

What- what was he? 

What happened? Where was he-

**_Home._ **

What was-? He was almost overwhelmed with  _ things _ \- wait-! He couldn’t- he didn’t-  _ pain _ -

“ _ AAAUGHH!” _ His throat burned. What-? Who- 

Something slammed into his chest frantically. He felt there, but there was nothing- what was that thumping-

**_It’s a heartbeat you idiot._ **

“A- what?” His voice was shaky, weak. 

**_It keeps you alive. I take it the potion worked?_ **

“The what? Potion-?!” This was so very wrong-

**_Yes, potion. You’re part of me, I think. What part I am not sure, but-_ **

“ _ What am I? _ ” He breathed, suddenly feeling as if ice was crawling through his insides. 

**_You are I, I suppose._ **

He was silent, trying to understand these feelings. These  _ yearnings _ . “And who is this ‘I’?”

**_Me_ ** **.**

“So I am you, and you are Me. I don’t-” Was he Me? Was Me him? 

**_Would you like me to simplify things?_ **

“ _ Please. _ ” He begged. “Am I a monster or a man?”

**_You could_ ** **never** **_be a monster. I am Dr. Jack._ **

“... so I am Dr. Jack?” He said slowly. There was a pause. 

**_I’m- I’m not so sure about that now. You’re… different from who I am, that is for sure. How that is I can’t tell._ **

“I-” He swallowed, his throat suddenly a desert. “I don’t know who I am-” He bit back the anymore. His fingers tightened around one of the tools on the desk. His vision swam with black dots. “I don’t know who I am. _ I don’t know who I am. _ ” Why did that fill him with more ice, coursing through his insides and filling his veins with fear?

**_Calm down. I-_ **

“How can I calm down?!” He said loudly, frantic. His fingers clenched around whatever tool happened to be in his hand in a death-grip.

**_I’m getting to it! Just- PUT DOWN THE KNIFE!_ **

He looked at the tool in his hand. Ooh, that was  _ sharp _ -

**_Hey!_ **

He jumped. “Oh, sorry. What were we talking about?” He slipped the knife into the pocket of his jacket- some sort of instinct wanted him to keep ahold of it. 

**_I was trying to calm you down but you seem to have gotten distracted enough to forget that you were freaking out. Can you do something for me?_ **

“Depends on what it is…” He felt as if he shouldn’t do what he was told to do by whoever this Dr. Jack person was-

**_Drink the vial on the left please._ ** That seemed harmless enough-

He carefully uncorked the bottle and took a swig of the clear liquid. Ugh that tasted awful-

He dropped it, it shattering in the floor. The coldness was back, and a burning sensation in his gut. 

Something was terribly wrong. 

“What did you do?!”

**_Keep calm. This should work-_ **

He felt as if something was pushing at him from every direction imaginable then- 

He was looking through a pane of glass.

Jack let out a breath of relief and stretched, his body responding with ease learned after years of being in it.

“That’s better.” 

The alter-ego looked out from a nearby mirror in shock. 

What had he done? He hadn’t- 

The shock turned to anger.

He wasn’t going to relinquish his freedom that easily. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured I'd add a chapter so there was more to read! Here ya go I guess. I hope you enjoy!

He was forced to look at the outside world through mirrors and reflections. Ironic, wasn’t it? He thought bitterly. He was the mirror image of a waste of a man, and he saw the world through a mirror. 

It would be a fitting punishment if he had been evil, had done something wrong, but no! He had done nothing but exist! 

**“A fitting irony, isn’t it? That I view the world through a mirror? That I waste away in solitude? I did NOTHING-!”**

“Alright. You don’t have to shout at me.” Jack sounded tired as he wrote in his battered notebook.

He pulled himself up short, giving a chuckle at the absurdity of it all. “ **I don’t? What a laugh. Says the man who IMPRISONED ME HERE-** ”

The pausing in the scratching of a pen. “It was for science, nothing personal.”

“ **PERSONAL?! I am a PART of you. I am a PIECE of you. And it’s nothing PERSONAL?!** ”

“That’s not what I-”

“ **That is EXACTLY what you meant Jackaboy!** ”

“But that’s not what I want!” Jack cried, throwing down his pen.

“ **SINCE WHEN HAS THAT MATTERED?!** ” He roared back. “ **I want to be free! And you- you want to be rid of me!** ”

“Who wouldn’t! You are the anti-me! The evil me! The one that should be hidden in the closets and cupboards of the world! You are the monster!” Jack responded in kind, whirling to his feet and facing the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. 

They both stiffened. Jack in regret, Anti in shock quickly molded into anger. 

“I didn’t mean- you’re not-”

He cut him down ruthlessly. “ **If I am to be the monster so be it!”**

“You’re not the monster!” Jack cried, but his shouts fell on ears deafened by his own wrongdoings. 

“ **I am not supposed to exist! I AM THE MONSTER! I AM THE DARKNESS IN YOUR SOUL! You call me Anti- THEN I AM SO!** ”

Neither of them realized quite how wrong this was. Anti was hurt and angry, Jack in shock and regret for what he had created. Anti contained the darkness, yes, but he also contained a spark of good- for one could not exist without the other. He was still able to be shaped. Still able to be helped, if he did choose to accept it.

“You’re not the monster Anti. If anything, I am. I shouldn’t have created you.” Jack said, resigned.

“ **Well it’s too late for regrets, now isn’t it?** ” 

Jack was silent as he left the building. He needed to talk to a friend. Badly.

 

\-------

 

Jack sat down at the bar, resting his head on his arms tiredly. He hadn’t slept in the last few days… he was just so tired...

“What’s wrong Jack?”

He groaned into the table. 

“Is it work? Is there anything I can do?” 

He didn’t deserve Mark some days… not after what he’d done.

He propped his head up on his hands as a glass of water was slid under his nose. “Thanks.” 

“No problem. How can I help you?” 

He stirred the drink with a finger, the ice cubes clinking in the glass. “It’s work, mostly.”

“Oh, really? How’s your project coming?” Mark leaned on his side of the bar. The place was deserted this late in the morning- or was it early afternoon?

“Still making observations. It’s just- I’m not sure whether I should be doing this, ya know? But I’ve gone too deep now…”

“Jack, everything can be fixed. Do you need help? Is it the authorities?”

He shook his head. “No, no, nothing like that. It’s myself that is the problem.” 

The mirrored back of the bar flashed, and Anti leered back at him, laughing at his pain. His green eyes glittered with glee, the only visible difference between the two.

**“Go on. Tell him. Tell him of the atrocities you’ve created- the crimes to nature you’ve committed.”**

Mark acted as if he hadn’t heard the sprite in the shadows, which he hadn’t of course. “I don’t see how that’s a problem Jack. If you’re having reservations listen to them.”

“Less reservation and more…” He couldn’t say it. Regrets. He had so many regrets. He’d ruined an innocent person and let it fester in his own wrongdoings-

“More what? Jack, tell me. Did you hurt yourself again?”

“ **Yes, YES! Tell him all of it! You’ve torn yourself apart my friend- tell him of the madman you really are!** ”

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just... “ He trailed off. Mark gave him an out without realizing it.

“You’ve been isolating yourself again, haven’t you?” 

He nodded. “Alone with my thoughts for too long. Heh. It’s almost as if things worked  _ too _ well… but I’m fine. Just tired.” 

Mark looked at him in concern. “Are you sure you’re fine? When was the last time you slept?” 

About three days. “Late last night. Didn’t sleep very well I’m afraid.” 

“ **Liar** .” Anti whispered in his ear. 

“Oh. Well, if you ever need somebody to talk to, the offer’s open. You can come here anytime.”

He smiled his thanks. “What could I do without you?”

“ **Be a monster perhaps?** ” Anti sniped.

Mark laughed. “Well, don’t lose too much sleep ya mad scientist. Go to bed early, alright?”

He nodded, finishing off his glass as he stood. “Thanks Mark. Have a good day, alright? Don’t go mixing any crazy potions in that kitchen of yours, alright? Things like that could raise the dead.”

They both laughed, not realizing that the other’s laugh was a bit forced. 

“I won’t. Have a good day Jack.”

“You too. Say hi to Chica for me.”

And he left, whistling a tune until he turned the corner into a very familiar alley. The side entrance to his building. He sagged against the wall. 

“That was exhausting…”

“ **Oh, tired are you?** ”

“Fuck off Anti, please.” He wasn’t in the mood to deal with even more of this shit after he’d had to lie to one of his best friends.

“ **Well that was quite the turnaround from concerned and caring creator. What, warring with the consequences of your actions?** ” 

He turned to go up the worn steps and was silent. Anti wasn’t wrong after all. 

He was about to disappear into his room to get some sleep when there was the sound of clapping. He turned to see Felix lounging on one of the many couches scattered around the place. 

“The wild Dr. Jack finally emerges from his room! How’s work coming?” 

And… his other best friend. 

“Oh, you know, it’s coming. Speaking of which I really have some stuff to work on-”

“No, you’re coming to a party with me. Mark’s gonna be there, Bob and Wade too-” What? Why hadn’t Mark told him?!

“ **Ooh, good ol’ Jackie’s gonna have to be social for his friends? What fun!** ”

“-and we’re all gonna have a fun time. Some of the others are gonna be there too-” So many people… he just wanted to sleep-

“I don’t know Felix- Mark kind of told me to go sleep-” Felix pouted. Nooo don’t do that...

“And you were going to actually do it? Come on Jack, it’ll be fun!”

“Well I was planning to.” He turned to the door, hoping against hope that Felix would let him go-

“Come on Jack! Grab your coat- we’re going to my place tonight!”

And Felix was off down the hall, laughing cheerfully. 

Jack stepped inside his room to grab his coat and hat- but something made him slip the two vials he’d need to swap places with his alter-ego into his pocket- the same one that also held the unknown knife. 

He was going to be so tired by the end of this…


	3. Chapter 3

Jack forced a grin as he was swept through the crowds of people. He’d just chatted with Thomas… self-replication. Interesting...

**“You should be happy, shouldn’t you? Aren’t these your friends?”** The smile was almost dropped at the sound of Anti’s- well, he supposed it was his at the end of the day- voice. 

Well… some of them were more coworkers but still… Anti was right… he should be happy… 

“Jack! It’s good to see ya buddy!”

He grinned at Mat, the grin slightly less forced. Last time he remembered he was working on an experiment with a… communication device, right? What had he called it-

“Hey Mat! How’s the… it’s the communication device, right?”

Mat returned the gesture. “Yeah! It’s going pretty well- how’s your work doing? Anything you’re working on?”

He shrugged, grin still stapled on. “Oh, the usual. I’d be sleeping if Felix hadn’t dragged me here. Have a good one, will you?” He needed to move on, maybe stick close to Mark-

“Same to you! Get some rest!” He certainly planned to. He looked around. Aha- Mark was huddled in the corner scribbling in his notebook. Excellent idea. What was he working on again?

He broke away from the crowds and leaned next to him. “Oh hi Mark. Quite a party, isn’t it?’

Mark looked up and frowned. “Why aren’t you sleeping? I only saw you a little while ago…”

“Oh, you know, Felix broke into my house again and dragged me here against my will. What’cha working on?”

Mark snapped the book closed. “A reanimation project- not too complicated, just theoretical at this point.” 

He nodded like he had any idea what that meant. “Yeah, well, I’m going to take off.”

“Already Jack? You’re such a downer…” Somehow Felix had managed to sneak up on them. 

“Felix, he needs sleep. I’m surprised he hasn’t passed out yet. You want me to take you home?”

Jack thought about it and nodded. He might want the company after all. Besides, it was dark out. He wasn’t that much of an idiot. “Sure. Enjoy the party Felix.”

Felix sighed, knowing the fight was out of his hands. “Alright. I’ll pop by in the next few days. See you around Mark.”

They waved and extracted themselves from the house quickly. Mark took off down the street at a brisk walk, hoping to get home quickly. He followed suit, walking next to him. 

“So what are you really working on Jack.” Mark sounded resigned, like he didn’t expect an answer at the end of it.

Anti was silent. Jack stuttered. “Wha-what? What do you mean? I’ve been working on the same thing for the last few months.” 

Mark let out a noise of annoyance. “You never said what that project was Jack! And whenever I ask you deflect it! So what are you working on!”

He looked at his feet. He’d get no help from Anti, this he knew. 

“Well… I was trying to separate the good and bad in a person. That’s something people would kill for, yeah? To be able to ensure that you are completely good…” He trailed off then shook his head. “Instead of what I was looking for, well… it sort of created something else entirely. Call it a separate entity if you want, but- it’s more like…”

“Your darkest and deepest desires come to light?” Mark filled in, utterly serious. 

He nodded. “Yes, exactly like that. I couldn’t have put it better. Your darkest desires come to light and personified. Rather extraordinary if it wasn’t, well, yours.”

“ **Aww, you compliment me.** ” Anti purred in his ear.

“He’s rather annoying to be honest.” He said lightly. “Anyway-”

“Wait, you’ve  _ done this?! _ Jack-!”

He waved him off. “Yes, I know it was unbelievably stupid. But it was for science! To awaken such was so... “

“Idiotic?” Mark said dryly.

“ **Reckless? A mistake?** ” Anti suggested.

“I was thinking exciting, but that’s true I suppose. You can’t tell me you’ve wanted to do something like that!”

Mark looked at his shoes for a second then looked up almost defensively. “Well, yes, but I wouldn’t go through with it!” They arrived at his house. “I guess I’m leaving you here?”

Jack waved a hand. “No, no, it’s dark and late. Stay here. I have the room.”

“Wha- are you sure? It’s only a few streets down-”

He shook his head and pushed him inside firmly. “No. It’s a miracle we made it here. I am not tempting fate with you walking home alone. You’ll just have to put up with me until the morning!”

“You’d better sleep for most of it.” Mark grumbled. “Besides, I have work to do-”

“Which means you also need some sleep. Now, choose a room and get to bed. Goodnight ya goober.”

Mark’s startled laugh followed him up the stairs and into his room. 

He needed to sleep anyway… He stumbled into the desk and winced. Yep, time for bed. 

Anti didn’t even argue. 


	4. Chapter 4

 

Mark had left by the time he’d awoken. Left a note under his door too. He had to remember to ask him more about his reanimation project later now that he could actually understand what it meant. 

“But reanimating what…?” He mused, looking at the piece of paper, probably torn from one of Mark’s notebooks.

Anti growled from his spot in the corner. “ **Could you get some more mirrors? Jeeze… I can only see so much, Jack.** ” He’d been acting much more amicable in the last hour he’d been awake. Interesting. They seemed to be working into a sort of friendship.

“I’ll see what I can do Anti.” It wouldn’t be all that much work anyway.

“ **Great. Thanks. But what about reanimation?** ” 

He sat down in his chair and swiveled to face the mirror. Anti sat on the bottom of the frame, eyes twinkling with curiosity. Huh.

“Mark said something last night that he was working on reanimating something.”

Anti made a noise of realization. “ **He said the work was theoretical but his reaction last night made you worry.** ” 

He nodded. “Exactly. He wouldn’t be the first to try something like that, but… He also might be able to make it work.” 

Anti grinned. “ **So you think he has something to hide.** ” 

Jack stood. “Well, basically, but more… I’m worried for him, you know? I don’t think he slept at all.”

Anti mirrored his movements and stretched. “ **You worry too much. Go and pop over to his little restaurant for some breakfast or something, and ask him about it. Then get back to work or whatever. Simple as that.** ”

He rose an eyebrow. “Are you  _ helping _ me?”

Anti shrugged. “ **Help, tell you some of your darkest fears… your fears are rather boring Jack. I figured I might as well keep myself entertained.** ”

Jack harrumphed. “Well, I suppose I should thank you for being helpful as you’re amusing yourself. So… thanks.”

He was out the door before Anti could get in another word, shrugging on his jacket.

Anti sank to the floor in confusion. Helping him was just so  _ simple _ \- just a way to pass the time. 

But why did Jack seem to appreciate it so much? 

He shook his head and slipped into the shadow of his creator as he headed towards Iplier’s. 

Weird name for a restaurant anyways.

 

\--------

 

Jack sat down at his usual spot at the bar, Anti settling down in the mirrored surface across from him. 

Mark came over and slid him some water, as was his usual. 

“ **Why does he keep giving you water?** ”

It’s not like he could answer him. He just kept forgetting to drink water and Mark took it as his sole reason to exist. “Hey Mark.”

“Hey Jack. Sleep well?”

He grinned. “Yeah, actually. Mind if we talk work for a moment?” 

Mark looked around as if checking for people to overhear. Oh for pete’s sake- they could just drop a line about it being a dream they’d had- it happened often enough that nobody would question it. 

“Sure. What do you want to talk about?” 

“The Reanimation Project.”

Mark’s face paled slightly. Anti giggled from where he’d moved to stay in the reflection of the windows. “ **Oh he looks** **_scared_ ** **! What’s on your mind Markimoo?** ”

Had he just  _ giggled _ ? That sounded weird- “Mark? You alright?”

“I’ll talk to you about it later, alright? I’ll close early and everything just- it’s easier to show you.”

Oh. That sounded bad-

“ **Did you just become a hypocrite Markimoo? I think he just because a hypocrite! What did you do now?** ”

“Alright… do you want me to come over? When will you be-”

“I’ll get you. Just… try to keep an open mind, alright?”

Yep, definitely sounded bad. Alright then. “I guess I’ll see you in a little bit. Don’t overwork yourself.”

Anti was snickering the whole way home. “ **He told us that we’ve done something awful and now he’s done something just as bad! Oh this is** **_rich!_ ** ”

“That’s not quite right Anti- we don’t know what he’s done yet.” 

“ **It’s a** **_Reanimation Project_ ** **. What else could he have done but bring something to life? But the question is… how could he have done it?** ” 

That was something he had to ponder. And what was he reanimating? 

 

\-------

 

Jack spun in his chair slowly. It was already six… when was he going to show up? He’d already gotten all of the work he could done… 

“ **You could let me out, if you’re so bored.** ”

Wha- what?! “Anti, I can’t. I don’t know when he’ll show up and-”

“ **Then give me free reign. I get the body, you still get to look at all of the cool science things. Win-win.** ”

But- “I don’t know… he’d notice something’s off-”

“ **It’s not like he doesn’t know. Besides, it’s boring watching you all day. I could** **_do_ ** **something** .”

He faltered. That was true… “I suppose… but I’m going to have to set a few ground rules.” 

“ **Alright** .”

He thought. “I have to be back by midnight at the latest.”

“ **If I have to. What else?** ”

“Yes you have to. If I’m talking to you you have to listen, and you can’t do anything brash.”

Anti cocked his head. “ **Brash? How vague.** ”

He quickly amended it. “If it’s something I don’t give you permission to do you can’t do it. Let’s start with that, alright?”

Anti hummed. “ **Sounds like a hassle to ask you for every little thing…** ”

Jack scowled. “You have common sense. Just… use your morals, alright?”

“ **My morals?** ”

Jack sighed. “As long as you don’t do anything stupid like hurt somebody. Be smart. You only have a few hours. If I say I need to come back I need to come back.”

Anti sighed. “ **Sure, sure. Can we go now?** ”

Jack sighed and reached for one of the many green vials on his desk. 

He closed his eyes… 

And drank. 

 

\------

 

Anti grinned and stretched. “Ugh, finally! Alright, where’s Markimoo?”

There was a sound downstairs. Jack turned towards the door from his spot in the mirror.  **_That sounds like him. Anti-_ **

“What do you want? It’s science time, isn’t it?” He threw on Jack’s jacket, feeling the inside for the two vials and the knife he’d somehow managed to keep without Jack noticing. 

**_Anti, be careful._ **

He rolled his eyes and went to throw open the door. “I will, don’t worry. Now, let’s go see some real shit!”

Jack let out a groan as Anti ran his way down to where Mark waited in the doorway. 

He hoped he hadn’t made a big mistake….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Sorry for the bit of a cliffhanger, I'll post the next chapter soon. 
> 
> I hope you all have a lovely day!


	5. Chapter 5

Anti skid to a stop right in from of Mark, who stood at the foot of the stairs. “Markimoo!”

Mark noticed the change in eye colour instantly. “Uh-”

“Name’s Anti. Don’t worry, Jack’s fine and good and currently making sure I don’t do something stupid. Now, I only have until midnight at the latest so let’s get this show on the road!”

**_Nice job there. Very classy._ **

“Why thank you! Now, lead the way!” He gestured for Mark to go ahead before skipping down the steps and locking the door behind him, feeling something that could only be described as ecstasy. 

**_Anti, you can’t just talk to me all willy-nilly. You’d look like you’re crazy._ **

“It’s more fun! It puts people on their toes. Now, what was this that you wanted to show Jack?”

Mark looked slightly uncomfortable. “I was just going to show him- not that it’s anything against you of course, it’s just that-”

**_You’re making him nervous. Let’s swap back._ **

Anti let out a sigh. “Alright, fine. But you owe me for this! That was just a teaser.”

Mark looked confused as Anti dug out the vial. “Owe you for what?”

“Oh, talking to Jack. Hold on a minute now-”

He took a small gulp and quickly replaced it in his pocket before Jack took over. He had to keep ahold of that just in case.

 

\-----

 

Jack straightened. “Sorry about him. He’s a bit… erm... “

“Strange?”

He nodded. “Yes, that. Now, what were you going to show me?”

Mark looked grim. “Follow me.”

“ **Ooh, where to Jackaroonie?** ”

They walked through a series of dark alleys. Jack eyed the shadows in apprehension. 

“Hey Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“Where exactly are we going?”

Mark reached a door, barely noticeable in the dark, which smelled as if a storm was brewing. “Here.” He unlocked it with a twist of the wrist and pushed it open. Light cascaded into the alley, reflecting out onto trashcans and pieces of glass strewn on the ground. 

Mark grinned and stepped inside. 

“Welcome to my Lab.”

 

\-------

 

The place was filled with equipment, much of it the likes of which Jack had never seen. “Woah… dude this is so cool!”

“ **HOLY SHIT THIS IS AMAZING!** ” Apparently Anti had to agree. He could see him moving from reflective surface to reflective surface, gazing at everything in sight. “ **Oh my god is that a tesla coil- it is! Ohmygodthisissocool-!** ”

Jack had to let out a laugh at Anti’s fanboying. He didn’t know he was into stuff like this, but he was a mad scientist. It wasn’t strange that the embodiment of his darkest desires would be such a nerd. “Dude, how did you manage to get all of this stuff? I don’t even know what some of it is!”

Mark coughed. “Oh, you know, the same way anyone gets their stuff.” So… stealing it from other people and/or making some of it? That sounded right. “So… let’s get this over with.”

They both looked away from the tools and devices. “Alright.”

“ **He’s done something fucked up hasn’t he?** ”

He followed Mark into an adjoining room- oh god what was that smell? 

Mark gestured to the…  _ thing _ lying on the table. “There you go.” 

“Mark, what- what is it?” His eyes watered. Ugh-

“The perfect being. People have been asking for years if it was possible so… I decided to try. Not unlike your ‘Anti’ isn’t he?”

“ **The fuck?!** ” Anti shrieked.

“Mark, dude, why didn’t you listen to your own advice?”

His friend gestured towards him. “I see you didn’t.”

He blinked. “But that was weeks ago! Mark, why-”

“Because I was curious. Jack, don’t you see it? You operated under the same reasoning.”

Jack, for once, was deathly serious. “And I literally had to come to terms with myself after that. Come on Mark- you can stop-”

“I’ve gone too far Jack.” 

“ **No you haven’t!** ”

For once he agreed with Anti. “Mark, no-”

Mark looked up at the sharp crack of thunder and grinned. There was a wild look in his eyes, and Jack noticed the worn circles under them for the first time. He’d been working himself to death just like he had. They’d both worked themselves into insanity.

The scientist moved towards a chain in the wall. 

“ **Oh my god. Jack-** ” He saw the shocked face of Anti in the glasses he only sometimes wore.

And just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse-

“ **The ceiling opens. He’s going to animate it with lightning.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HehehehehEHEHEHEHEHEHE!
> 
> Heheh. Heh. Heh. Welp, next update's gonna be fun. I'm almost finished writing the story, so the updates will be more frequent, but... sorry about the cliffhanger. I did actually laugh like that while posting though.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well isn't this dramatic.

Jack froze in fear. “MARK NO-!”

But Mark was already pulling the chain, the ceiling opening to let in a downpour of rain. Jack shielded his face against the sudden waterfall and moved to go forwards. 

“ **Jack, you can’t stop it. Get out of there. There will be lightning-** ”

“I can’t let him get hurt-”

“ **He shouldn’t if he knows what he’s doing. But we don’t. So get out of there, now!** ”

He faltered. He didn’t want to leave-

There was the smell of ozone. The lighting was close. 

“ **MOVE!** ”

He turned on his heel and ran, hearing the metallic clanking of a crank behind him as Mark raised the platform to the sky. 

He’d just gotten out when there was a flash of light. The building rattled slightly under his feet, and he almost lost balance as the crack of thunder followed the fated lightning. His ears rang.

Icy fear climbed through his veins as he turned towards where his friend lay inside. What if he’d gotten hurt? What if-

He heard the faint clanking of chains. The crank. His feet were spurred, and he ran back inside, Anti shouting at his heels. 

“ **What are you- you IDIOT! You don’t know what’s in there!** ”

“Mark!” He went to tear open the door to the adjoining room- but it was locked. “MARK!”

He heard a faint crinkle of glass. Then the soft voice of his friend, lost in the sound of pouring rain. 

He went to call out again-

“ **Jack. He’s obviously dealing with his creation. Leave them be.** ”

He faltered. “Are you sure?”

Anti nodded grimly in the reflection of a beaker. “ **Leave them be.** ”

His feet slowly carried him back out into the pouring rain. 

 

\-------

 

He waited in front of Iplier’s for hours- Mark never showed up. 

“ **This is so BORING!** ” Anti complained. “ **I told you he’d never show up- somebody has to watch the monster!** ”

“Anti?”

The alter-ego perked up from his spot in the window. “ **Yes** ?”

“Shut it.”

Anti groaned and flopped against the bottom of the frame. “ **But it’s boring! What’s a guy supposed to do?** ”

He was spared an answer by a passerby. 

“ **Fuck this, I’m out.** ”

The reflection disappeared. He camped out there for another half-hour and decided to go home. 

He hoped Mark was doing alright…

 

\------

 

He found Felix lounging around his house. “Felix? What are you doing here?”

Felix turned around. “Jack! I wanted to pop by and let you know that I’m getting the gang together for dinner in a few days. Just Mark, you, and I having dinner. Isn’t that great?”

He rubbed at his eyes. “Having a lot of parties lately, aren’t you?”

Felix shrugged. “They’re a good use of time. After all-” He swept towards the door. “Who knows when things might come to the surface?”

He was out into the streets as Jack froze. Anti’s voice curled around his ear, a slightly shocked core to the consonants and vowels. If his creator was to look he’d see his face in a nearby hall mirror Jack had gotten installed a day or so before in a fit of insomnia.

“ **Now why do the non-scientists always say the most threatening shit?** ”

 

\------

 

Jack grabbed his jacket, slipping in his customary vials as if it were habit. 

No sign of Mark in the last few days. The restaurant had been closed. He couldn’t quite remember the way back to Mark’s lab so that wouldn't quite work. 

Maybe he’d be at dinner?

“ **I wouldn’t get your hopes up.** ” 

He rolled his eyes at Anti and tucked a small mirror into another pocket, just in case he needed to talk to Anti face to face. “You never know Anti. Besides, if he isn’t there maybe Felix will have some clues. He has a lot of contacts in the city after all.” Anti had made sure to slip the knife back into the pocket. They should have everything they could need. 

“ **Don’t get into politics. We’re too sober for this.** ”

He scoffed at the mirror. “Oh shut it you.”

There was a knock on his door and he spun on his heel. How much had they-

The door creaked open to see Felix. “Talking to yourself again?”

He gave a thin grin as Anti let out a laugh at the choice in words. “Oh, you know, planning. Helps to talk it out, you know?”

Felix nodded. “Understandable. Ready?” That was close. He had to be more careful.

“Let me just grab my hat.” 

He grabbed it from the top of the stand and moved through the largely unfurnished house- a side effect of spending so much time in his study. 

“Have you thought of getting into science Felix?”

Felix laughed. “No, no- I’ll leave it to you chaps. I certainly couldn’t do half of the things you manage to do- automatons, plants, elixirs… what will you lot come up with next? I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up harnessing nature itself to do your bidding.”

He let out a chuckle. “I’ll be sticking to my chemistry, that’s for certain.”

They strolled out into the street, dodging carriages, other pedestrians, and the usual clutter throughout the dank streets. 

Felix looked down at the cobbles, arms behind his back. The grey contrasted with the blue of his coat. “So, Jack- what have you been working on?”

Jack stepped over an uneven patch of the street. “The usual projects. Researching. Observing my own little experiments to see how they react to each other. Nothing too extreme currently.”

He caught a glimpse of Anti’s eyes in a lamppost. 

“ **Do you think he knows?** ” 

His limbs flooded with fear- he cut the ice off. He’d deal with it later if the situation came to it. 

“Jack?”

He looked up. “Hmm? Sorry, got distracted. Did you ask me something?”

“I was asking for specifics. I’m hosting an exhibition of the local scientific practices and I was wondering if you could give me some details.”

Oh. “Alright. How in depth do you want me to go?”

Felix gave him his signature charming grin. “Most of it will probably go over my head but… as deep as you want to go.”

He grinned. “I can do that.” And he was off, talking about Butterfly Pea Extracts and different types of sugars and crystals and acids- it was all a blur really. The months he’d spent making sure things were timed correctly, the fact that it had to be finished at the new moon or it wouldn’t work, that sort of thing. 

“But what does it do?” 

Ah, a snag. He faltered. “It… well…”

“Jack, you made this thing, how do you not know what it does?”

“I know what it does! It’s just complicated to explain. Basically it strips things at the most fundamental level- it collects the slag- or the impurities-”

“ **Impurities? That’s what you’re going with?”**

“-and it combines them into a separate structure entirely. Completely negates the filtering process. I must say, it’s a bit redundant.”

“A bit, yes.”

“Definitely staying with more common methods. I just figured it would be interesting to try something new.”

“Huh. The marvels of science.”

He gave a chuckle as they reached Felix’s building. “That’s certainly one way to put it.”

Felix reached towards him. “Would you like me to grab your hat? It can get a little cold, so you can keep your coat, but-”

He took off his hat and passed it to his friend. “Thank you.”

Felix hung it on a hook. “No problem. I think Mark may or may not be here already-”

“Did somebody call me?”

“-and that’s a yes. Go on and join in on the fun Jack. I’ll go get some drinks.” 

He grinned and moved ahead towards the party. 

It was nice to be out and about once and awhile, wasn’t it?

 

\--------

 

Mark was chilling on one of the couches while another person read from one of his bookshelves. 

“ **Who the fuck’re they?** ”

Who indeed. “Hey Mark. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

Mark jumped up. “Jack! Jack, this is Dark. Dark, this is Jack.”

The other man finally looked up. |Greetings.| 

They shook hands. His eye caught on a thin silver scar around the other man’s wrist what was exposed slightly when his sleeve pulled up. It was quickly hidden once more when Dark adjusted his cuffs. “Nice to meet you.”

|Likewise.| He then went back to the books. Rude.

“ **I like him** .”

“Dark.” Mark stage-whispered. “That can be seen as rude.”

He looked back at Mark almost pleadingly. |But non-Newtonian fluids are fascinating...|

“I know. You can read more later.”

Dark sighed but put the book back. He was kind of like a child in some ways. It was rather endearing. 

“So… food?” Jack suggested. They laughed and moved towards the snacks Felix had brought out with the drinks.

“ **Aren't you** **the one with your priorities straight…** ”

Damn right he was. He was  _ starving _ . 

 

\------

 

Mark, Jack, and Dark were getting ready to go. He reached for his hat. A piece of paper came off in his hand. He looked at it in confusion as he put the hat on his head. 

It was blank save for a small slip of Felix’s familiar neat scrawl. 

 

**_You certainly haven’t gotten better at lying, have you? I’d work on that for next time if I were you._ **

**_However, your secret is safe with me if you do choose to share it._ **

 

He tucked the slip into his pocket with numb hands. 

That was certainly a dramatic way to end the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dammit Felix. You had to end it on a cliffhanger didn't you?   
> So yeah. Mark is Frankenstein. Dark is Frankenstein's monster. I thought it would be interesting to include the two of them so... *shrug*
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Have a great day!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole chapter was very, very fun to write.

Anti bounced around the room from mirror to mirror. Jack was asleep and he was  _ bored _ .

There was a noise downstairs, then two voices, both he somewhat recognized. 

Why were Mark and Dark here?

He zoomed to the mirror near Jack. 

“ **WAKE UP PEOPLE ARE HERE!** ”

Jack fell off of his desk chair as he jolted awake. “Wha- Anti!”

“ **People are here Jackaboy! Chop chop! Don’t want to keep Markimoo and Darkipoo waiting!** ”

Jack groaned from his spot on the floor. 

There was the sound of feet up stairs- one fast, one a normal pace. 

Mark barged into his room and stopped. “Why are you on the floor?”

“Interpretive dance. Why do you think I’m on the floor?”

Dark came into the room behind Mark and looked at Jack. |Why were you doing interpretive dance?|

Jack groaned as Anti let out a laugh from his spot in the mirror. “It was sarcasm. I tripped and fell.”

|Oh. I will remember that.|

He moved towards Jack’s alchemy set. |What do these concoctions do?|

Jack’s arm went up and pointed at them. “Don’t drink that.” 

|But what do they do?|

“They’re my… actually I just realized I don’t have a name for them yet. Huh. I’ll have to work on that. It’s my separation swappy thing.”

|Your… what?|

“It’s a long, complicated story.” And one he wasn’t up to telling just yet. “Look, I’m tired, you lot woke me up-”

“Shoot- I’m so sorry Jack. I just wanted to properly introduce you to Dark.”

Anti poked his head through the frame across from his desk. “ **I knew it!** ”

|Why do you have so many mirrors?|

“I like to keep a eye on things. So you’re…”

|Indeed. I hope this does not trouble you.|

He waved a hand. “Nah, that would be edging on hypocritical. It’s cool as long as you don’t, like, kill someone or fuck things up really bad. Morals and shit, ya know?”

|I am… grateful, I suppose.|

He grinned.”Cool. So… I’m gonna get some sleep-”

“Oh, right. Sorry about that man.”

He gave a tired wave. “Its cool. Nice to officially meet you. You might want to cover up some of those scars with something though. I had a guess.”

|Oh. Alright.|

He shrugged. “Only cause I knew about you in the first place. G’night.”

“ **It’s morning.** ”

“Eh, whatever.” He plopped into his chair and closed his eyes. “See ya.”

“See ya around Jack.” The door closed.

He soon fell back asleep to the sound of humming from the mirror.

 

\-------

 

“ **_All the way._ ** ” 

He jumped the gap between windows. 

“ **_To fuckin’ victory town._ ** ”

The storefront soon ended and he slipped into Jack’s shadow. 

“ **_All the way._ ** ”

Jack hummed in annoyance. He grinned wider as they turned into the next road. Empty. He might get a reaction this time. 

“ **_Feels good to be a winner, every now and then-_ ** ”

Jack groaned. 

He skipped from window to window and moved to the more interesting parts. “ **_Keep on a dancin_ ** ’-”

Hmm hm hmm~

“ **_Keep on flyin’-_ ** ”

Hmm hm hmm~

Time to mix it up a bit. “ **_I believe, I believe in you~_ ** ”

Jack’s face relaxed a bit. He thought it was the end? This was new territory- he’d just made it up this morning.

“ **_I believe, I believe in Steve-_ ** ”

“Steve?!” Jack gasped in indignation.

“ **_Great, great Steve-_ ** **well that’s just perfect, isn’t it?** ”

Jack groaned louder.

“ **_Great, great Steve-_ ** ”

“Who the hell is Steve?”

“ **_Why aren’t your legs magnetic-”_ **

“What the fuck is with these lyrics Anti?”

“ ** _Great, great Steve._** **_I hope you die, die, die, die, die- in that bottomless pit._** ” He kept count with his head, still singing cheerily. 

“That was quite the turnaround.” He paused for a second. Jack let out a breath. 

“Great, you’re do-”

“ **_ALL THE WAY!_ ** ” 

“OH COME ON!”

Anti laughed as Jack headed into Iplier’s. He reflected onto his usual mirror behind the counter. 

“ **Hey Markimoo.** ”

“Hey Mark.”

Mark looked up from the counter. His face broke out in a smile. 

“Hey Jack. How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good. Pretty good.”

They talked for the rest of the night, eventually parting when Mark had to close and Dark came by to make sure he got home alright. 

 

\-------

 

Jack returned home and collapsed into his chair. It was late. He was tired.

“ **May I do some science Jackaboy?** ”

He paused and thought for a second. “Sure. Don’t do anything dumb. Like blow us up.”

“ **I won’t! Just some simple alchemy. You can watch the whole time. I’ll even write everything down! All science is is experimenting and writing anyways!** ”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that but… oh, alright.” He grabbed one of the green vials and took a swig. His vision shifted, and he was looking through a familiar mirror. 

He watched in fascination as Anti grabbed a bunch of things right off the bat.  **_Woah! You sure are excited._ **

“I only have so much time. Besides, it’s fun! I’m sure you’ll catch up to what I’m doing soon enough. It’ll take a few months to make.”

A few months?  **_That seems complicated. Care to share any hints?_ **

“That wouldn’t be any fun! Besides-” He pulled out a thick book from the bookshelf in the corner. “-I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Jack moved over to the small mirror he’d fixed by the window to look closer at the book. That was the one full of older and more obscure recipes… 

Anti flipped to a marked page. Jack only caught a partial glimpse of the title before Anti was off grabbing more materials, taking the book with him. 

Elixir of-__________- amel] [Kaguya] [Soma] [Amrita]

Wait a minute. 

**_Are you doing what I think you’re doing? That recipe is only theoretical at best- none of his papers were ever found-_ ** Anti grabbed a few more books. History? Ohh, he thought he knew where this was going. Book of Abramelin the Mage. 

“That’s the fun part! Besides, it’s not like we haven’t done stuff like this before! Just on a smaller scale! Simple enough.” He scribbled down the things he’d need. Lingzhi mushroom.  Amanita Muscaria. Ephedra root. Saltpeter. Blood crystals. Rabbit. Bamboo leaves. Oh, some of these were going to be so illegal… aaand dirt. Regular old dirt. It seemed Dan and Phil were going to get a lot of business soon. 

Oh boy.  **_Anti, I guess I should say good luck. You’ve set up quite the challenge._ **

“Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent two hours researching the stuff for the Elixir. 
> 
> Ughhhhh..... but yeah, this chapter was fun. Only one or two more and that'll be end then of this whole thing... *sigh*...
> 
> Welp, I'm gonna make the best of it. I hope you enjoyed reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Jack grabbed his case of stuff. Double checked he hadn’t forgotten anything. Grabbed his glasses. 

And he was out the door. 

On the way to the Exhibition. 

Oh god. 

“ **Stop stressing. You’ll be fine. Besides, I can remind you of shit if you get stuck.** ” 

Right. Right. He’d done this before- no reason to worry. 

“ **You want a pick-me-up?** ”

“Sure.” 

Anti took in a deep breath. Just as he thought he was going to start singing-

“ **Positive Mental Attitude** .” What. “ **PMA. Think of it. It helps. Have a positive look on things and you’ll be fine even if you fuck it all up.** ” Oh. 

“That was… strangely inspiring. Thanks.” 

“ **No problem. Now on to your regularly scheduled torture session-** ”

“Oh god no-”

“ **_ALL THE WAY!_ ** ”

 

\--------

 

He was ushered into a massive hall. “Woah.” 

It was huge! Tables were set up everywhere with equipment and papers and people standing around talking- oh this was awesome. 

“Jack! Over here!”

He looked up to see Dan and Phil. Over the last few months they’d become close friends, with the plants and the experiments and the whole science thing. He jogged over, still holding his huge case. He dropped it on the table. Oh wow that was loud. 

“Nice to see you again!”

“We literally talked last week!”

“And? You never told us what you were working on anyways.” He thought of the glowing vials in his case. 

“Oh, trying to recreate something I read about in a book. There’s basically no recipe, so I had to try a lot of things. Some of the stuff you got me seemed to work so… thanks!” Immortality in a bottle. That had a good ring to it.

A great clatter erupted from a few feet away. He looked over to see someone had run into a table, knocking it and the other people they were with to the ground. 

“Sorry! Sorry! Shoot-” 

The only one of them that hadn’t fallen was laughing his head off and helping the one in blue up. “Romano, you are such a klutz.” 

The one in the full on suit was getting off the ground stiffly. “Do take care to watch where you are going next time Roman.” 

The one in white cringed. “I said I was sorry!”

“It’s alright kiddo! Nobody’s hurt, right? Thomas?”

The only one of them he recognized hopped up and straightened the table. “Nope!”

“I dunno, I think Ro’s ego’s a bit bruised.” 

“Virgil! Be nice!”

“Hey, I said I think. There’s a margin of error.”

“Hey, hey, settle down. We need to prepare our table.”

“Oh! Sorry!”

“It’s alright Pat.”

He tucked his case under his arm and strode towards them. “Hey Thomas. Who are your friends?”

They all juttered to a stop except for one with bandages covering half of his face. Thomas squirmed.

“Uh-”

“We’re relatives. From out of town.” 

“Yeah, they’re my- uh, my cousins.” 

Thomas was a terrible liar. But he wouldn’t pry. “Alright. Need help with your table?”

“I think we have enough hands. You doing your usual talk?”

He nodded. “Yeah, just doing the usual answering questions and possibly going on a tangent. Might talk about some of my own projects. I have been working with some optics lately, so that might end up going out there. The same as always. Oh, let me give you guys my address in case you want to talk or something- I don’t know why we haven’t gotten together for lunch yet…”

“Oh, that’s fine-”

He was already taking out a piece of paper and scribbling down his message, folding it in half and sticking in in Thomas’ surprised hand. “Oh come on, I’m sure we could go on about it for hours. I’ll see you around.”

He went back to his table whistling. He needed to set up his station. 

 

\-------

 

Jack’d given his speech. It was very boring. Nobody asked any good questions! It was all: ‘And how does that correlate with prior knowledge-’ and ‘What will this mean for the future-’ and ‘Well if that is true than what about-’. No creativity. No debate. No challenge. 

He sat in a decorative mirror fixed to the wall and looked at the people with disinterest. He was bored. There was no action. Just dry and boring theories. No practice. Well, except for the Sanders. And Dark was wandering around somewhere, he was sure of it. But other than that it was mostly stuff he’d figured out on some of his nights out. Electricity could power things and move muscles. Mark had blown that out of the water months ago. Light bends. Yeah, Jack had been dabbling in optics while trying to figure out just how he moved through reflective surfaces. They still didn’t have any ideas, but that wasn’t important. They’d found out shit like that too. 

Science just wasn’t interesting anymore. Jack might be willing to play the part of interested scientist, but he was practical. He did experiments. In that case lay a potion that had the potential to rewrite history. Was it too out of the question for him to start getting bored? He hadn’t learned anything new in  _ days _ . 

Ugh. 

“-and that is the exact function of a rubber duck. Any other questions?”

Silence. It seemed that was all. 

“Then I hope you all have a great night. Good luck!” He walked through the crowd and Anti let out a huge sigh, curling around his shadow. 

“ **I’m** **_bored._ ** ”

“Well I can’t fix that. I’m sorry Anti but we have the party after all this and that’ll take up the entire night, if not into the early morning. You know this crowd.” His voice was lost in the sea of people but Anti still heard him clearly even though he was muttering. 

“ **That sounds exhausting for you. Why don’t I pick up the slack?** ”

“... I’ll think about it.”

That worked for him. 

“ **Say, you given any thought to that question I asked you?** ”

Jack gave a strained smile at someone as he settled back behind his table. “I dunno. Maybe Mark? Or we can make something slightly different for the rest of them. I- I can’t exactly make a decision like that. We can always just give them a choice.”

“ **Something slightly different? What, make it so they basically just remember their past lives or something later on? I might be able to do that. We’d end up testing it out blind though.** ”

“Assuming the reincarnation theory is correct at all. We can make both and give them a choice I guess. Or not do it at all.”

“Who you talking to Jack?”

He looked down from where he was staring at the ceiling. Oh. Felix. “Myself. Planning a new project. Deciding what to do with it. You know I think out loud.”

“True. How you liking the exhibition?”

He gestured towards the large crowd milling about. “It’s certainly busy. This place is gorgeous, by the way.”

Felix waved a hand. “It’s no problem. I had a favor to cash in, and he has quite a lot of property. I’m thinking I should put a piano in that corner-” he pointed towards the corner furthest from them. “-and maybe make this a ballroom. Could host some dances here.”

He couldn’t withhold a grin at the idea of some of their friends dancing in a mob in the corner, having no grace or elegance whatsoever. “That would be nice.”

“Mmhmm. Drink?”

And he had a fizzy green glass in his hands. Oh my god. Where had he even gotten that?

He took it. “What’s making it fizz?”

“Citric acid.”

Huh. Fancy. “What’s in it?”

“It’s a cocktail for Pete’s sake. Just drink it.”

He rolled his eyes and took a sip. And shuddered. That almost tasted like-

And then he was floating. Anti blinked a few times and looked at the glass. 

“Interesting flavor combination. Next time I suggest adding some vodka. The citric was overpowering.”

“Your eyes are green.”

“Oh really? Weird. Must be some sort of side effect. What kind of thing did you say this was?”

**_Are you seriously lying to his face?_ **

Felix just cursed softly and walked away instead of answering, muttering under his breath. 

“I think he tried to do that.”

**_You think? I have to say, I did not think you were going to try lying to him like that._ **

“I live to defy expectations.” He took the glass and rummaged around in his case for something that might serve as a lid. “I’m curious on how he managed to make it work.”

Yeah.  **_I didn’t think he tried alchemy or chemistry… or much science at all really._ **

“Methinks the man doth protest too much. At least we won’t have to make more for a while.”

**_Fair enough._ **

“Hey Jack- why are your eyes green?”

Anti waved a hand. “I was testing a potion and it had that side effect. I guess I’ll find a way to fix it later. What’s up Dan?”

“You mind looking at something for us? I know you’re not a botanist but you seem to know your way around plants and-”

Anti nodded, cutting him off. “Yeah, sure. Chill out. What’cha want me to look at?”

Dan started rambling about a venus flytrap hybrid he’d started working on, and Jack flit through the ether into Anti’s shadow.  **_You’re good that this thing. The socializing._ **

Anti was looking at a monstrosity of a plant and couldn’t answer. He looked at it too. Weird. 

“Does it store liquid like a cactus?”

“No.”

“Is it edible?”

“No idea.”

“Then what did you need me for?”

“It’s pretty. And it needs a name.”

They looked. Stocky, rotund body. Flytrap mouths perched on the tip. Spines everywhere. And a single scraggly looking purple flower. Beauty was in the eyes of the beholder.

“Planty the potted plant.”

**_Steve._ **

“Or Steve.”

“I like Steve.”

“Steve it is!” Dan dug through his papers and took out a label, scribbling STEVE in loopy, slightly crooked handwriting. He stuck it onto the pot. “Perfect.”

Anti cracked up laughing. This was just so… not quite stupid but stupid was really the only word that fit. Amid the chuckles he bid his farewells and moved back to the table. 

 

\-----------

 

He sat on the roof in the early hours of the morning, suitcase beside him and a slightly-warm vial in his hand. 

He looked at the elixir, swirling it slightly in the vial. 

“So this is it.”

**_I suppose so, yeah. You sure you want to go through with this? I mean-_ **

“I’ll be blunt here Jackaboy. Dying doesn’t sound like something I’d be fond of. Down the hatch!”

He downed the bottle. Ooh, lemon-y. And slightly fizzy. 

They waited. When he didn’t spontaneously combust he threw up his arms and cheered. 

Once he quieted down, they sat to watch the sunrise. 

It looked even prettier on the high of victory. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun. I hope you enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> So....  
> I told myself I wouldn't post anything before I finished up some of the stuff I had.  
> Welp. Thanks a lot me.  
> Scheduling... what scheduling? Sorry in advance. Probably depends on when I finish writing it to be honest. I'll try my best. This really is just a taste.  
> (Sorry)


End file.
